TRITON HIGH SCHOOL Triton’s Student-Produced Newspaper May 14, 2014

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@Triton Voice @tritonvoice @TritonVoice @ Triton Voice @ Triton Voice

By Kelly Herrick

Staff Writer There are an endless number of stars, planets,

nebulae, and galaxies in our universe. There is also

a high-quality telescope sitting in science teacher

Mr. Tony Castro’s room.

Although a telescope has been donated to Triton

that students are free to use, no one has taken ad-

vantage of it. The official Astronomy Club has dis-

banded , but the telescope is available to students

who are interested in taking it outside. With con-

sent from Mr. Castro, students may access the tele-

scope for their pleasure. Due to its massive weight,

students are encouraged to form a group and take

the telescope out as a team.

Junior Eve Beebe feels that students should take

the time to form a group and take advantage of the

beauty of the night sky.

“We’d be ignorant not to look at something

around us,” Beebe said. “We are in one known uni-

verse, and every time we look into it, we find some-

thing new.”

Castro, a physics teacher, recommends reading

Sky and Telescope magazine to search for upcom-

ing astronomical events, and according to Mr. Cas-

tro, students should “read the manual to figure out

how to move it, turn it around, and make observa-

tions.”

Principal Kathryn Dawe said that prior to taking

out the telescope, students are required to get per-

mission and be accompanied by a staff member.

Last year, janitor Ryan Collins consented to the

idea of bringing the telescope to the roof for obser-

vational purposes. An alternative to this is to bring

it to the parking lot. Whatever the case, students

will be responsible for ensuring the protection of

the telescope and bringing it back safely.

For aspiring astronomers or those who have an

interest in the field, the telescope provides a won-

derful opportunity.

See TELESCOPE on page 2

Triton’s new

telescope Student stargazers sought

By Shannon Lyons

Staff writer “I just want to get out of here.”

“I hate science.”

“I don’t want to go to practice

tonight.”

“This weather’s killing me.”

“I am so beyond tired.”

As I walk down the hallway, I

am engulfed by these conversations,

swallowed whole by the pessimistic

monster that our endlessly expressed

grievances fuel. Witnessing such

cynical discussion makes maintain-

ing a positive mentality feel next to

impossible. Suddenly, I am remind-

ed of the two assignments I have

due tomorrow and the 7 p.m. prac-

tice I have tonight.

I am left feeling dejected.

John Wooden, a famous American basketball

player and coach, once said: “If we magnified

our blessings as much as we magnify our disap-

pointments, we would all be much happier.”

With the drab weather of these rainy months and

the building pressure of the approaching end of

the year, it is easy to fall into a habit of com-

plaining. The problem is, however, that our com-

plaining is rarely in search of a solution but

moreover, a way of mindlessly bringing our-

selves and those around us down simply for the

sake of voicing our annoyances.

Triton sophomore Tess Broll agreed that our

society has essentially provided a gateway for

negativity to seep into our communication.

“I think that subconsciously complaining is

not only a main part of eve-

ryday conversation, but of-

ten a conversation starter,”

said Broll. “I think that if we

were able to stop complain-

ing we would be able to

convince ourselves that we

are happier and less stressed

and have better things to

converse about.”

From March 3 to March

7, I conducted an experi-

ment that tested the frequen-

cy of my own complaining

habits and challenged me to

go one school week free of

negativity. I recorded every

time that I felt the urge to

whine, to criticize or to condemn something or

someone.

What I thought would be a few quick days of

maintaining a positive attitude turned into a long

and difficult trial, as I continuously had to re-

mind myself to re-evaluate my thoughts before

voicing them. Suddenly, the exchange of gossip

and the ventilation of aggravation seemed to ex-

plode in the conversations around me, louder

than ever before. Every sour person I encoun-

tered seemed to beg for agreement or validation

that they had the right to be mad at whatever it

Stopping the Pessimistic Monster Halting complaining seen as key to making progress

The Other Colbert Report By Cedric Colbert

Local: Following the recent scandal in-

volving Justina Pelletier and the recent

deaths of three children on her watch, Ol-

ga Roche, the head of Massachusetts’ De-

partment of Children and Families, has

resigned. Governor Deval Patrick, who

had previously defended Roche, accepted

her resignation “with some sadness” (AP).

National: On Thursday, May 8,

Texas A&M quarterback Johnny

Manziel was selected as the 22nd

pick overall by the Cleveland

Browns. Manziel had to wait three

hours before he was finally drafted,

despite being projected to be a top-10

pick. (abcnews.go.com)

International: On Friday, May 9, Rus-

sian President Vladimir Putin visited Cri-

mea for the first time since he annexed it in

March. During the visit, he celebrated Rus-

sia’s Victory Day over Nazi Germany in

WWII, while showing off Russia’s military

strength during a parade.

(abcnews.go.com)

was they were dealing with. When I did not pro-

vide this reassurance or add any further com-

plaints, their words hung stiffly in the air, hinder-

ing the natural flow of our conversation. It was

then that I realized how strongly our communi-

cations depend upon the generation of grievanc-

es.

“I think people say what’s on their minds

without thinking who or what it affects,” said

sophomore Jamie Kelly. “Complaining is com-

mon for most people, and if people thought be-

fore speaking, happier things would be the sub-

ject of conversations, giving people a better out-

look on life.”

It is true that there is a certain form of

satisfaction that comes with complaining; an

exciting release and rush

when two people can get

together and share thoughts

about something or someone

that annoys them. This may

be because everyone wants

to be understood, like they

are not alone in what they

are feeling. Unlike confid-

ing in a close friend about

an issue, however, com-

plaining is a form of com-

munication shared between

even the most unfamiliar of

strangers. People break

awkward silence by ripping

on the weather, the slow

service or the brutal traffic.

Sophomore Olivia Lees said that the antago-

nistic mindset of today’s generation is largely

due to our constant exposure to media and news.

“I think that people talk about negative sub-

jects a lot because media usually focuses on neg-

ative events,” said Lees. “However, if people

started to talk about more positive things, they

would probably be happier and wouldn’t dwell

on the negative things that surround them.”

See POSITIVE on page 2

Sophomore Hannah Clark and Christine Ciccone share a moment

of complaining before class (Shannon Lyons photo).

Staff writer Kelly Herrick poses with the Triton

telescope in Mr. Tony Castro’s room. The telescope

is not currently in use, and the school is looking for

students to take advantage of the equipment to star-

gaze (courtesy photo).

“Complaining is common

for most people, and if

people thought before

speaking, happier things

would be the subject of

conversations, giving

people a better outlook

on life.”

— Sophomore Jamie

Kelly

Triton High School page 2 May 14, 2014

back on Friday night, soaking up

some sun in summertime or landing

that dream job that will grant the

ultimate lifestyle.

While there is certainly nothing

wrong with setting goals, it is un-

fortunate to think of how much val-

uable time so many of us waste

grousing about the most insignifi-

cant of things. While it is easier

said than done, guidance counselor

Dr. Erik Champy said that the only

way to pull the plug on this toxic

form of communication is to turn

our attention elsewhere, to the posi-

tive aspects of life.

“As responsible adults, I think it

is imperative to model positive be-

haviors and steer students away

from counterproductive attitudes,”

said Champy. “As students, I be-

lieve that young men and women

need to work with their peers to

curtail any negativity that may

arise. We need to constantly remind

ourselves of how blessed we are —

the cup is half full!”

Champy’s colleague in the guid-

ance department, Ms. Karen Chris-

tian, said that being happy requires

POSITIVE from page 1 Throughout the course of my experi-

ment, I not only felt engulfed by the neg-

ative conversations around me, but also

by the abundance of dispirited tweets and

whiny Facebook posts, something that

would not have stuck out to me before

taking on this challenge.

In my attempt to record my own chal-

lenges of the week, I found myself be-

coming more aware of other people’s

complaints as well. The most common

complaints I observed, both on social

media and in face-to-face conversation,

were subject matter regarding being tired,

having a heavy workload and being in

“desperate need of summertime.”

I began to research the reasoning as

to why people became so hyper-focused

on the stress in their lives, or why so

many of us have taken on the ‘let’s just

get through this day’ mentality. One

anonymous quote that rings true in this

instance, read, “People wait all week for

Friday, all year for summer, all life for

happiness.” So many of us, especially

students in high school like myself, are

driven by the knowledge that hard work

has a reward, whether that be kicking

a balance between being positive

and still allowing our emotions to

be expressed.

“ If people tried to make a posi-

tive out of a negative, they would

be happier. I do believe in the pow-

er of positive thinking to help one’s

overall demeanor,” said Christian.

“I also think that it helps to discuss

grievances in a mature manner, as it

is not good to keep one’s negative

feelings bottled up inside.”

While I do not think of myself

as a pessimist nor a gossiper, you

would think that, coming off of my

experiment week, I would be ready

to release myriad complaints. This

was not the case. In fact, since my

experiment, I have felt an increased

ease in refraining from cynical con-

versations. I have learned to differ-

entiate between pointless comments

and those which desire a solution.

In the future, I hope to see myself

and others continuing to take on

this positive perspective, so that one

day our conversations are intoxicat-

ed not with negativity, but with a

new and contagious optimism.

By Erin Volpone

Staff Writer When thinking of

a varsity sports team,

many think of the

best of the best ath-

letes a school has to

offer: the fastest,

strongest, most dedi-

cated group of ath-

letes.

So the question at hand is, does it

matter who these athletes are? The an-

swer to that is no, having underclassmen

on a varsity level sports team does not

matter in the long term as long as the

athletes are ready.

Many Triton sports teams over the

years have had a variety of students of all

ages play for them, students on varsity

have ranged from freshmen to seniors,

and even the occasional middle-school

student has appeared on sports teams.

This year’s new athletic director, Mr.

Sean McInnis described what he found to

be his definition of a varsity player.

A varsity player is “a strong student

athlete, with outstanding qualities in his

or her sport, who is dedicated and willing

to work,” McInnis said, “But most of all

(the athlete is) willing to accept his or her

role and always want more.”

Elaborating further, McInnis said that

this could be a freshmen or sophomore,

but the factors of maturity and brute

strength also play a key role in a player’s

readiness for such a position.

True, many believe a varsity level

team should be reserved for upperclass-

men — juniors and seniors — seeing as

these students usually have more experi-

ence, maturity, and strength than, say, a

freshman. But in special cases a select

few underclassmen have been known to

show they are ready for such a key role.

Having known from experience, be-

ing an underclassmen on a varsity level

team can be very rewarding, and in the

long run it helps the player learn to har-

ness his or her craft and become a better

athlete.

Pigeon-holing the younger athletes

will not help to develop programs, in-

crease interest or add numbers to teams.

If there is a player who is outstanding and

ready to play, they should not be held

back based on their age.

By Erin Holloran

Staff writer To many, freshmen

year is supposed to be

a year full of new ex-

periences and trying to

grip the reality of high

school life. This new

“life” can often in-

volve the stress of aca-

demics, finding an after school job, and for

many, sports. So is it exactly right to ask

these youngest students to be varsity-level

athletes?

In both Triton and many other high

schools in the country, there are three levels

of sports offered: freshmen, junior varsity and

varsity. Which of these teams a athlete makes

is determined most by an athlete’s experi-

ence, level of maturity, and ability. In an in-

terview with Triton Voice, athletic director

Mr. Sean McInnis explained the difference in

these levels.

“Freshmen and JV teams have two differ-

ent purposes. Freshmen level is designed for

freshmen and sometimes even middle school-

ers to participate. It gets them integrated into

the school and meeting people and teaching

them a sport they can hopefully play for life;

it also provides everyone the opportunity to

play….JV allows student athletes another

avenue to get ready for that varsity level; it

gets them the experience they need.”

So does this mean that freshman and

sophomores should stay at the freshmen and

JV levels, or should they be on varsity as

well? McInnis gave his input on the matter.

“The whole point of varsity is to put your

best athletes out there. If that means younger

athletes can handle (the burden) both mental-

ly and physically then they should be allowed

to play. It’s like academics; should a student

be in AP or CP? They all fall into different

realms. There is no “cookie cutter” fit”.

Often times the varsity level can hold a

large amount of stress due to the high expec-

tations that need to be met. And this stress

can often be too much for someone who is

new to high school. On the other hand, some

kids are able to handle the new amount of

stress and are able to do just fine. Like McIn-

nis said, there is no true “cookie cutter” fit,

and if a student is ready to take on the respon-

sibility of a varsity sport, then they should be

able to be on the team.

Underclassmen on Varsity! Underclassmen on Var-

Case Study: Freshmen Lewis L’Heureux Note: As a freshmen, student Lewis L’heureaux has played both freshmen, JV

and varsity-level sports. He answered questions about the experiences recently

for the Triton Voice.

How much time per week do you dedicate to both teams?

“I played freshmen football, JV football and varsity football. I also wrestled

for JV and varsity. Weekly, I spent about 18 hours of each football team and

about 12 hours for each wrestling team. I had practices every day, five days a

week and games and meets every Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.”

Do you find it stressful? How do you balance your time?

“I found that playing for all levels of football and wrestling was very stressful.

School work is very difficult to keep up with when having practice every day

and games/meets every other day.”

What is the upside to being on both varsity and junior varsity?

“The upside of being on all of the teams are you gain a lot of experience from

playing every day and also competing at a higher level of competition raises

your skill in your sport.

Do you feel that being on varsity and junior varsity has made you a better

player?

“Playing for both teams 100 percent made me a better player because of the

competition I had to face. I had to step up my game just to be able to compete

with the other, bigger, stronger, and older kids.”

What are the pros and cons of being on both varsity and junior varsity?

“The pros of being on both teams are you get much better at your position or

weight class.

“By playing with varsity, your “survival skills” kick in and you need to im-

prove and adapt your level of competition. Then when you play on your regu-

lar freshmen team, you do much better against freshmen kids.

“Cons of being on both teams are the sacrifice of school work time and having

to cram your work time into your schedule. Another con is missing valuable

freshmen practices or games/meets to play for varsity. Sometimes by missing

practices, for freshmen, I had to learn new plays in football during warm ups

right before the game.”

TELESCOPE from page 1 “We would use it to look at the moon,

the North Star, and then maybe Mars and

Venus if we can see them,” said junior

Nick DiGenova.

There is so much more to see. As

Beebe said “Comets come by, we would

look at the Moon, look at constellations,

we could plot our own star maps; we

could do all sorts of cool stuff.”

OPINION: Should underclassmen play varsity sports?

Jackie Jerome has made her college

decision. “I’m going to NECCO in the

fall of 2014,” said Jerome.

“I’m going to be studying criminal

justice and getting the law enforcement

Senior of the Week

Jackie Jerome

Freshmen Lewis L’Heureux (left, top

and right, throwing) plays both JV

and varsity football and wrestling for

THS (courtesy photos). In the article

below, L’Heureux discusses his ex-

perience playing at both levels.